How the Trucking Industry is Changing

The trucking industry is always on the move, in more ways than one. Its rapid transitions and adjustments are necessary to stay competitive and stay with the ever-growing consumer demands. There are a few changes coming to trucking that are worth noting.

Even though, these changes are making a huge shift in the industry, trucking seems to be growing at a very rapid rate. Compared to before, you now have more competition, a price war to stay competitive and changing standards, too. Let’s look at those changes and how the industry is adapting to them in the coming years.

New Truck Drivers and Management

When there is such a widening gap of demand in relation to supply, one must expect the possibility of agencies lowering their standards to fill those voids. Truck driving used to carry a certain level of prestige, once upon a time. We know it hasn’t been that way for quite a long time, but it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.

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This is due to several reasons, but probably the biggest contributor, outside of growth in demand and tightening economy, is the exit of a large portion of the work force. Veteran truck drivers are retiring, taking their mentorship and leadership along with them.

Advancement in Technology

Technology is changing the truck driving industry on multiple fronts. Advancements have obviously increased efficiency of manufacturing and shipping of items. You need to look no further than what Amazon has been doing over the years to see how big of an impact technology has made to online commerce.

It is because of this influx of commerce and traffic that the trucking industry has had to finally incorporate a digital system of management and quality controls. Returning to the previous point made about the aging trucking work force, the older drivers have a much harder time in relearning how they handle their shipments, which is a big reason why the industry has been so late on adopting electronic logs and communication.

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This extra level of stress and responsibility also exasperates the rate of retirement for truck drivers, so right now it is really a precarious position for the industry and it will take some time before the transition is complete.

Upgrading of Truck Fleets

The automobile industry is experiencing a transition of their own, due to outside pressures and demands by consumers. Being called “eco-friendly” or “green” is no longer good enough. Actions must be able to stand on their own, which is why commercial trucks are needing to be replaced with much more efficient and cleaner counterparts.

Emission standards have been tightened on the trucking industry, so many trucking companies around the nation are having to invest in cleaner and more fuel-efficient models.

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Emphasis on Training

Another huge shift in the industry is the requirement for enhance training. If you have been in the industry for some time, you know how important the DOT medical examination is before looking for employment. You know how your health correlates with the type of job you’ll get, or even if you’ll be able to find employment. Not only that, but you have to spend more time in truck driving school. Over the years, there’s been all sorts of news about truckers getting charged with DUI, falling asleep behind the wheel, or even engaging in road rage with other truckers. This has all impacted the trucking industry negatively.

The FMCSA requires more behind the wheel training, and even requires higher averages on the CDL examination. But, you don’t have to worry because there is free CDL test prep available online to help you study and get the knowledge required to successfully pass your CDL test.

The importance of having trucks transporting goods around the country is not going to wane any time soon. The infrastructure relies on quick, high-capacity, and reliable delivery service. Until they figure out a way to produce drones that can lift hundreds of pounds in a safe and reliable manner, there will be no other reliable form of freight than having a truck driver deliver packages on the road.

10 Ways to Build Positive Work Relationships and Work as a Team

Behind the corporate veil, the actual members who work towards achieving the company goals are the ultimate assets.

It is very important for every team member to maintain focused goals on a professional front, at their individual level and at the organizational level. With even the slightest discord between two employees, the entire team might suffer and have to adjust with the downsize in organizational success that they realize ultimately.

As humans, each and every employee is bound to have different opinion and feel inclined to meet their personal goals, just as much as they meet the goals of their company. Hence, it is essential that work relationships among different employees are friendly and cordial. This will help the fellow team members to work together as an efficient team. The ultimate outcome of which will be a capable work force, poised to gather the gains of organizational success.

Let us take a look at some of the ways to build positive work relationships and help employees work together as a team:

1. Respect Your Peer’s Time

No matter which specific domain you work in or in which your organization deals in, each arena entails performance of various jobs by the employees. Within this organization, there are a set of cumulative jobs which ought to be performed at a specific pace, and within a set period of time.

Sometimes, there might also be a sequence to the performance of actions and processes, so that the next process in the sequence can be performed. Some procedures are dependent upon the performance of an action by a certain member of the team, so that the other members can carry out the subsequent steps in the sequence. The ultimate target with this planning is that the work must be completed on time and there should be no delay in meeting the deadlines which have been set for the purpose.

Thus, in situations where you are placed in a role where other people are affected by your actions or performance, it is essential that you respect their time and effort, and ensure that the ball is not pent up in your court.

At the same time, remember that you should make yourself available for other people, should they require your help. Ultimately, your aim must be focused at ensuring that work is not pending and you get it done like experts doing the work.

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2. Ensure that You Are Cautious With Social Media

With the ongoing trend in the digital space, it is easy to feel compelled and drawn towards the idea of connecting with your peers and colleagues on the social media. Although there is not much harm in the practice, it is essential to observe caution while making these connections.

The simple reason behind this is that one wrong move can dampen your reputation or else, cause your peers to gather an incorrect impression about you.

It makes sense to ensure what the social media policy of your organization is before treading on this path. If such policies restrict the association of fellow employees, then you must respect them.

3. Communication is the Key

Communication is essentially one of the most vital keys which impact how your relationships with peers and other employees are. The role of effective communication cannot be stressed enough. It is vital in attaining the goals of working together in an organization and carrying out the jobs which will help in attaining success.

However, there is a very big danger with communication. As part of the human nature, it is easy to assume that the person ahead of us has understood what we intend to say. This might not be true at all times.

Therefore, taking feedback is important. This will help you understand if your message has been understood in the intended manner. If the message has not reached the intended party as expected, corrective actions can be taken at the same time.

Poor communication has the disadvantage of adding stress and distrust among fellow employees. It can sometimes causes crucial message failed to be delivered, leading to organizational turbulence, after which the blame game is hard to end.

In order to avoid the confusion and misunderstanding, communicate through a formal chain of command and follow formal mode of communication. Thus, communicating through mails or any other formal channel of communication would be the appropriate way to communicate in order to keep everything on record. This will help in referring to the communications later, should any dispute arise.

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4. Feedback is Important

As important as it is to take feedback from other people, it is also important to give your feedback. It is not just you who needs feedback but also your peers, in order to understand how well they are performing.

Your feedback will help other people progress in their work as much as it will help you progress in yours. Giving constructive feedback to your fellow peers at the right time and in the right state will help them advance, and ultimately lead to the success of the organization.

Your co-workers are bound to value your opinion and regard you in a positive light, if you provide them with the feedback that you require from them.

5. Make Use of Common Day Courtesies

Greeting a co-worker may sound like something so ordinary that you might wonder how it ended up on this list. However, as long as we are talking about ways to build a positive work environment, this one cannot be ignored.

You maybe surprised by bidding your co-workers simple common day courtesies! Being humble never hurt anyone, even if you do not exactly receive something in return.

Moreover, you must maintain eye contact with your fellow peers if you wish to gain their trust. This will provide the necessary infrastructure to build a capable team.

6. Get Into the Habit of Helping Yourself

While at work, accept that you are never going to receive the pampered behaviour which you do at home. No one at your workplace wakes up in the morning and makes themselves available at the to hear you rant or constantly answer your questions. However, you might come up with situations nevertheless, which require you to ask for help or advice.

In this scenario, try to gather some information about your question, say, from the manuals which you receive upon joining, or from the web and equip yourself with some concrete information about the question which you may be ready to ask from someone else.

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At least when you approach someone with your doubts, along with the information gathered you’ve gathered, they will appreciate you for having made the effort to find out the answer.

This will make them feel important as well, answering your questions and helping you achieve your goals or tasks.

7. Treat Everyone as Equals

As a member of your team, it is not your job to point out who is better and who is not. Organizational politics can be a deadly game to play and as long as you are not a pro player, it is always risky to put yourself in a situation that will tarnish your image.

Gossiping is a strict no and spreading rumours is something you must avoid at all costs. Behave in a humble manner and even if someone tries to pull you into a conversation, avoid it in a respectful manner. Do everything you can to pull yourself out of that situation.

While talking behind people’s backs may sound like a refreshing fun activity initially, it will definitely come to bite you behind the back in the future.

Also, it will be wise to remember that no one in the organization is permanent. People change and so can their designation. It will be better for you to keep your personal views about someone in your head.

As long as you maintain the idea of treating everyone as equal, you will find yourself amidst a positive working environment at all times.

8. Acknowledge Your Mistakes

Mistakes happen and one of the more noteworthy facts about mistakes is that they can be made by anyone. The wisest thing you can do is to admit mistakes you’ve made.

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Playing the blame game will not only tarnish the name of your peers but also your own. It is always good to avoid getting into a tiff with others. Admit your mistakes and think of remedies or solutions to fix it. For a positive working relationship with your peers, you will need to adopt this quality.

9. Learn to Take on Responsibilities

Passing on your work load might be required when you are overburdened with work. However, when entrusted with a job, you should try to accept it as your responsibility and avoid putting it off to someone else.

Putting off work all the time will only end up creating a block between you and your peers, while they may start avoiding communicating with you at all. When you work in a team, your duty is to cooperate and build a positive working relationship with your teammates.

10. Engage in a Follow-up Routine

As a part of a team, it is necessary to express the fact that you care about your team members and you are also poised to achieve the targets set by your team.

Whenever you get the chance, do not hold back from asking your co-workers about your work performance and whether they think there’s anything you should improve.

Be prepared to be available to change and improve. This will go a long way in presenting yourself as a responsible and willing to learn employee.

The Bottom Line

These are just some of the ways in which fellow team members can build positive work relationships among themselves and work towards taking the organization to new heights. This attitude is best to achieve overall success for the organization and create an environment of trust and honesty among the employees.